Angel
by EccentricVixen
Summary: Angel Meigui is a rich, mute girl who leaves her life of luxury in an attempt to escape her sheltered life. Naively seeking adventure, friends and new sights, she finds a crew and sets off. It's not long before she falls in with a fanatic religious cult bent on overthrowing the Alliance and dominating the 'Verse and beyond. Trouble is, Angel ain't sure she disagrees with 'em.


"Lookin' for a ride to Persephone? There ain't a finer ship in the 'Verse to take you there than Prometheus here" I hear a charismatic voice call out to me as I gently elbow my way through the crowded Capitol port of Osiris. Turning to the sound of his voice, I see a handsome young man standing by a sleek custom-built starship. Smiling broadly at him, I nod and pull out the whiteboard I keep on my person at all times and elegantly write, _**How much?**_

I was born unable to speak. I can't scream or sing, my vocal chords simply don't work. All that happens is a raspy breathing sound whenever I try, and as such I no longer try. For years doctors, therapists and the best medical professionals in the galaxy tried to fix my voice but to no avail. On the plus side though, having to communicate entirely in writing or gestures has given me an elegant and cursive chirography. A few years studying calligraphy didn't hurt either. Gotta look at the positives, right?

"Cat got your tongue, Ma'am?" smiles the man offering the journey, before pausing to look at my whiteboard and then to my face and nodding, "Two hundred credits and we're due to set down in Persephone in a week's time."

I raise my eyebrows at him, and he hurries on, "Fastest trip from here to the Eavesdown Docks, and in finest luxury too."

_**Why so expensive?**_I write quizzically

"You pay for the luxury, speed and security. Could be dangerous for a speechless girl gettin' on just any old ship, if you get my drift." He informs me, with a hint of malice. His words hang as tarnished silver in the air and I write _**Where do I put my luggage?**_

"You don't put your luggage anywhere until you pay, missy. Money up front."

Rolling my dusty blue eyes, I reach into my dusty-brown traveling coat and produce a small, rectangular piece of glass. On and through the glass is any number of tiny moving shapes and characters as well as my family crest, a stylized rose wrapped around a dagger. Raising the glass up to my eyes so it can validate my identity, I giggle silently at the man's slightly shocked expression before handing over the money.

"You're the daughter of the Meigui family!" he blurts out before regaining his businessman composure and bowing slightly, "My apologies for any disrespect caused, Ma'am, I hope I did not offend. Welcome aboard Prometheus, we are honoured to have you as our passenger."

_**Thank you, Captain, but there is no need to be so respectful.**_ I scribe and then underneath, _**Just a girl looking to explore the 'Verse.**_

He nods and takes my luggage personally aboard his ship beckoning me to follow, "I'm Captain Dean Howard, and the woman on the console over there is my wife, Mera" He points to a middle-aged woman tapping meticulously at a control on the wall of the cargo bay. "This is Zeke, our chief engineer." says the captain, gesturing towards a broad large dark-skinned man with his curly hair tied back in corn rows. The man is intimidating to say the least, standing at at least six foot five inches tall and built like a tank, but he smiles and nods at me. "And the rest of the crew I'm sure you'll meet."

I take a seat while I await for other passengers to board, an appallingly dressed flamboyant young man named Kit, a terrifyingly macabre-looking young lady called Laura and a quiet middle aged androgynous-looking woman who's name I didn't hear. A little intimidated by the strangers, I back myself against a wall and sit on my luggage, waiting to be directed to my quarters.

The boy named Kit approaches me in with an intrigued expression, his eager gait betraying his excitedness, which he seems to try to keep hidden behind a carefully constructed inquisitive smile. He must be barely 18, wearing neon coloured clothes and scruffy dirty-blonde hair. His fluroscent yellow trousers are tight, perfectly showing his toned thighs, while his bright purple tartan shirt hangs a little loosely from him. As he approaches me he stops about eight feet from me, "May I join you?" and when I nod, he smiles and sits on a box a little way from me.

"So, what leads a pretty girl like you to Persephone? Visiting friends?" He chirps, his words golden in the air; there's no ill intent there, just simple curiosity.

I pull out my trusty whiteboard from the inside of my silk-lined jacket, uncap a pen and scrawl,_**Just looking for some new sights **_** and he nods.**

"Mute?" he queries and I nod, "No worries. I'm personally headed lookin' for work on a ship headed to the border planets. Everyone needs a competent pilot, right?"

I smile charmingly at him and nod, _**What an... interesting choice in clothing. I guess it makes you stand out**__. _And once I'm sure he's read it, I quickly rub it out and write, _**Name's Angel.**_

"Kit. Pleasure to meet you. You seem different than all these borin' uptight folk." he beams happily, holding out his hand which I shake delicately. "As for my clothing, I wanted to try something different. Women's clothing comes in every shape and colour, whereas men's clothing is a suit or something job-specific." he explains slowly, watching my face carefully for my reaction, "So I thought I would design my own clothes so things are a little more fair on the fashion front."

_**Oh! Are you a professional fashion designer?**_ I write slower than usual, being sure to form every curve perfectly to accentuate my enthusiasm. I was getting some strange feelings about this guy, but not dangerous, just unusual. Then again, he probably had a bit of a leaky brainpan, from the sounds of it.

"Oh no, I just dress how I want." he says, glancing up at the Captain Howard who seems to be calling all the visitors.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are getting ready to leave. First a brief tour of the ship, and then you'll be shown to your quarters, but first, be aware there is a weapon scan as you leave the cargo bay." The captain announces, "Please present all weapons and licenses to Zeke and Melanie before continuing. They will not be confiscated unless there is a problem."

Kit flashes a panicked glance at me as he reaches into his pocket to produce a utility knife, and then quickly rummages through his luggage for a pistol which he shows to who I presume to be Melanie. The woman could be called attractive from the right angle, in the right light, by a well-natured liar with no obvious death wish. She's stocky, with a short rough pixie cut, a hooked nose and a cold, emotionless look to her that heavily suggests she'd have no qualms about ripping you limb from limb if you looked at her a little lopsided.

Melanie looks at Kit's weaponry and, looking at his face and seeing he has no permit, simply nods and allows him to pass. Carefully hiding his shock behind a cheeky smile, he heads over to wait by the captain. I open my suitcase and produce my trusty bow and quiver with several hundred regular arrows and a few NewTech ones I got for my birthday with explosive tips. In the 'verse, or rather the solar system that humanity moved to from the Earth That Was, the system is made up of three sectors, in a way. The innermost planets are called by the core and are controlled by the Alliance, which is the government. The United Alliance of Planets, and while a few planets rose up against this and wanted independence, that ended in Serenity Valley when the Alliance won the war. Within the core, currency is in credits and you require a permit to carry a gun and all sorts of things. On the border planets, Alliance control is further spread and weaker, they don't put as much effort in and money goes into solid coinage, gold and platinum pieces. However if you flashed a bag of gold on the core, you'd probably be arrested for suspicious behaviour. The Rim is only theoretically under Alliance control. There are less medicines, less food, less support from the rest of civilization. Thankfully you don't need a permit to carry a bow in the core, as it's often a sporting "weapon" and used in competitions by the well-to-do's.

Also showing a utility knife, which I suppose you could use as a weapon but it's hardly designed for the purpose, I'm let pass without a word. The scary young lady by the name of Laura, seemed to be holding a small armoury on her person, but had permits for everything, and the middle aged lady was unarmed completely.

After a brief tour of the ship, showing the galley, recreation room and passenger dorms, we were shown to our quarters, "Engine room, cargo bay and bridge are off limits, and you're welcome to the kitchen at any time. Sit down meals are at 1200 and 1800 hours, any questions?"

When nobody answers we disperse and head to our respective quarters. Once inside I sit to think, closing my eyes to meditate on the days events thus far... Two hundred credits was very expensive, even for a first class passenger, and the quality of life here wasn't anything to brag about, though those poor folk out on the rim would sell their wife and kids for a night in this room, I imagine. Poor buggers. And there is definitely something fishy about this crew, they aren't the honest to goodness, law-abiding gentlemen they pretend to be; that much is obvious.

Oh, and something to note, I'm what they call a Reader. Reader's ain't well known or common in the 'verse but here I am. Living, breathing proof they exist. Nobody knows how we do what we do, or why we exist so randomly, but we do and that's all there is to it. A Reader is open to the feelings and thoughts of those around them, she might know when someone's lying, or feel the presence of somebody trying to sneak up on them. Rarely more than this, but some Readers have been known to be able to read the thoughts right out of your head clear as day. There's no scale, but if there were I'd say I was around a six in power. I can feel those around me, and I can get a feel of peoples intentions, but that's about it. The confusing bit, and common among Readers I hear, is the synaethesia. Synaethesia is a condition where two senses overlap. Some people might feel music around them, or see smells, whereas my reading crosses with my sight on top of the intuition.

I was born this way, it either never really existed or didn't come to my notice until age 14.

_I was out for a walk after my private tutoring at home on Osiris, when all of a sudden I felt an overwhelming sense of dread. Turning on my heel I saw three men following me, and while they looked respectable enough, they were billowing black smoke and giving off some nasty vibes. What was I supposed to do? I turned back to continue my walk, hearing my heels click on the pavement as I headed down a dark alley. I knew the area well and every secret of the streets had yielded it's knowledge to me, so I was not afraid. Behind me, the three men started laughing, shouting to me. Vulgar, abusive things, telling me all the things they wanted to do me, not that I needed telling; I could feel their intent. I was overwhelmed by these new senses and I must not have been paying attention because I suddenly found myself face to face with somebody new, and he was a friend of the others. That was when the fear kicked in. I'd been baited; the bastards had driven me here. Unable to scream due to my inbuilt voicelessness, I twisted the silver ring on my finger and pressed the little button. My trusty localised distress beacon, alerting the local authorities that I was in danger._

_The man in front of me was drunken, with a huge grin on his face at having found such a treasure; a pretty fourteen year old girl to have his way with. For no reason my vision flashed red and I instinctively ducked behind him, a little surprised to see his arm swinging to grab for my throat as he stepped forwards. I'd just dodged his attack without even knowing what I was doing? Damn that's cool, I thought to myself, but didn't have long to linger on that thought because I found myself shoved against a wall and his weight pressing against me, pinning me to the surface with his body._

_His friends had caught up now and were sat back watching, laughing as if it were a game. I swung to hit him in the face but he caught my arm easily, his superior strength holding it to the wall while with his free hand he reached down to feel my breasts._

"_Mmmm. Pretty little thing ain'tcha?" He purred in my ear, the smell of alcohol washing over me and making me feel nauseous through my panic. "Look what we got here boys. Pretty schoolgirl all ready for us. Perky budding tits to boot. Bet she's a virgin 'n' all."_

_His friends were moving in now to touch me, ripping my dress from my best, pulling my silk bra down. One had his hand between my legs._

_I struggled, I tried to scream but of course no sound came out. I was trying to hit him with my free hand, kick but it was no good. Helpless, my body was touched and caressed and bruised by their unrelenting fingers._

"_I think she's all warmed up lads; who wants to take her first?" The man holding me asked his friends, turning me around effortlessly so I was face first against the wall. No. They can't. Oh gods no. They're going to rape me. Oh shit. Oh shit. Where were the godsdamned police?_

_My dress was lifted up at the back and my ass was grabbed appreciatively.I was banging on the wall, trying to stamp my feet, desperately trying to make a noise. I felt my underwear being ripped from me and my ass cheeks were spread. Fingers touched my pussy and I heard a fly being unzipped. Oh gods. Here it comes. When I knew, without a shadow of a doubt. I wasn't going to lose my virginity here to these dirty men, I wasn't going to be raped here. But all the evidence was pointing to it, he was getting his rock-hard penis out, about to force it into me when there was a BANG! And a gurgle as something warm hit the back of my neck._

_The hands holding me went limp and he fell from me. Panic-stricken I stumbled away, turning to face them. The men were scared too now, what was going on? I clutched at what was left of my satin, midnight blue dress trying to cover myself. My bra was on the floor, the straps snapped. My panties were ripped too, lying in a dusty corner. Ten new men and women ran onto the scene with stun sticks and knives, many had machine guns too but they weren't using them. The police! The Alliance Federals! I heard a hovercraft humming overhead, it was probably armed. The men were beaten, stunned and arrested. The man who had been on the verge of raping me was already dead; the bang I'd head was a bullet being fired which subsequently shot a hole through his throat, killing him in seconds. I was saved. I was cleaned up and taken home. The men were sent to prison in the end and my parents left me alone to cry in my room that night and every night as the horror of the situation hit me and washed over me again and again._

That was my first experience of my Reader abilities, and needless to say it wasn't a pleasant one. I became scared of my powers and panicked whenever I felt something, but I was forced to get over that as they became more prevalant. The sound of gunshots still trigger me though, making me panicky and scared.

I touch the alarm ring on my finger to comfort me as I end my meditation, emotionally drained by the sheer weight of the memory I practically just relived. Sighing, I lay down on the bed, not bothering to put the blanket over me and drift into an uneasy nap.


End file.
